HBC sucks! Becoming one of the worst Canadian companies…

Reading the Financial Post’s Canada’s largest corporations (FP500) special issue you can find all the major retailers in Canada like Sears, Canadian Tire even Walmart Canada. Nowhere 178 page booklet can you find a mention of Canada’s second incorporation HBC. Canadians are becoming more disenfranchised with the company who recently has upset most by supplying the Canadian Olympic team uniforms that are Made In China. Moreover the company keeps pushing Canadian clothing manufacturer’s out the door, thanks to new policies that favor Made In China products. Most of the companies were consignees where the manufacturer only gets paid commission on their products and has to sustain major damage by customers returning clothing as much as a year later, theft which is a sport at HBC’s The Bay stores and the directions poor decisions in helping a country’s manufacturing sector. Quebec and Montreal’s division of consignees is run by non other Mrs. Claire Gagné responsible for the demise many clothing manufacturer’s licensee programs. Quebec The bay stores are run by horrible management who couldn’t run to the bathroom let alone run a department store and is supposed to be managed by Toronto’s head office who is oblivious to anything. Don’t believe me, then why is a company with over 95 department stores that has been operating since the inception of corporations in Canada can’t even make it on any lists worthy of a large corporation.

8 Responses to “HBC sucks! Becoming one of the worst Canadian companies…”

The Bay was founded in 1670 by a charter granted by King Charles !! of England, and was therein named The Govenor and Company of Adventurers Trading into Hudson’s Bay. There are over 300 stores.

Surely, it is an economic decision that motivates buying olympic souvenirs and clothing in China. However, as spokespersons and role models epresenting Canada, the company should have been obliged to manufacture our athletes uniforms in Canada.

Sorry,
I work for The Bay, and everything you have stated it completely wrong. Not only is it a great company to work for, but I myself serve many loyal customers who will refuse to go anywhere BUT The Bay.

I work for The Bay too and we’ve just laid off 2 salary positions that were “no longer available” due to cutbacks and so-called reconstruction of the store. There is no job security working for a company where you’re merely a number. The company is flawed in many ways and wastes money on useless signage that we change annually anyway wasting thousands of dollars. Never mind getting the amount of product that we receive from couriers that should never be sent courier…

First: I bought a fridge for my Mother that was supposed to be delivered in 2 weeks. Well, two weeks came and went. I went back to The Bay to see what happened. Woops they said… so long story short, after going back THREE times, I finally got my fridge delivered… NO WAIT, that’s not the fridge I ordered, that’s the crappy model with a dent in the side!!!! FAIL! I returned it and got a fridge at SEARS with NO problems.

Second: Well, maybe I’ll give them another chance. CRAP, I bought a kid’s Playard from The Bay that was missing parts. Do they not check items being returned by other customers. Then, they had the nerve to place the blame on me for the missing parts. (did I mention that they’re baby section was so messy, I couldn’t push my small little stroller through the isles)

I WILL NOT LONGER spend my hard earned dollars at The Bay. I hope The Bay goes bankrupt so, a legitimate retailer can assume position!!!!

Having worked for this company for a number of years, but thankfully no longer – this company does have many more negative points than positive points. Three major layoffs within 18 months, managers who have no business being in management and a complete lack of caring from anybody outside the stores. This company has no course set and no clue what truely is important. The buyers consistently make major mistakes, product never gets delivered on time and the Candian people are fed up with them. The associates in the stores work tirelesly and can personally tell you it has been years since anything positive has ever been mentioned. Yes, I would hate yo see this company go under, but we the associates are powerless to help, as long as the pig-heads who run the company continue to simply collect a paycheck, and care less about anything other than themselves.

My 84 year old Mother has been called 16 times now.
People are telling her that she owes approximately $187. According to their automated phone system she has not used her account since December 2007.
I called the number given her today (1-800-667-4363) and had to enter her card # and her birth date 3 times before getting to the department that I needed.
The automated message confirmed that there is nothing owing on her account.
I closed her account and then got onto customer service.
HBC customer service people will not give out their employee numbers only a first name.
My questions/complaints are

1. Why do I have to enter the Card and age information 3 times to get through to a person?
2. The service person on the phone did not speak or understand English very well, there are better services you can use to avoid this, why don’t you use one of them?
3. The HBC service person would only give me his first name and no employee number, why is that? Every other service i.e. Bell gives employee numbers.
4. Their automated system tells us that there is nothing owing and allowed me to close the account, but your service person on the phone tells me there was a purchase for $69.56 done August 5th 2008. Why is there conflicting information.
5. When I inquired what the purchase was for the service person could not tell me. Why is that they know what is owed but not what it is owed for?
6. When I asked to talk to the complaint department I was put on to another person who spoke worse English, he told me that he couldn’t help with Credit Card issues, why do they have a complaint department that can not assist me with my complaint?
7. I had spent over 1 hour on the phone just to be told that the wait to speak to a Supervisor in the Credit Card department may be for another hour.
Why is that?